The USDA’s E. coli Loophole

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What do you do with meat that’s contaminated with E. coli bacteria? Slap a “cook-only” label on and sell that shit (pun definitely intended), says the USDA.

The Chicago Tribunereports on a little known “E. Coli loophole:” If the deadly bacteria is found in meat during processing, companies can still sell the meat if they label it as “cook-only.” The reasoning seems sound, since cooking kills the germs, but inspectors say the practice is more dangerous than it appears:

…some USDA inspectors say the “cook only” practice means that higher-than-appropriate levels of E. coli are tolerated in packing plants, raising the chance that clean meat will become contaminated. They say the “cook only” practice is part of the reason for this year’s sudden rise in incidents of E. coli contamination.

E. coli has been making headlines a whole lot lately. First there was the spinach scare; then the Topps recall; and just a few weeks ago, the Cargill recall. There’s no evidence that the cook-only loophole has to do with any of this, but it sure doesn’t make hamburgers sound any more appetizing.

Fact:

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